First Impressions
by wordswontstop
Summary: Alyssa and Grace have their first day of school... and their first day of something else. Rated K  now for language. Warning: contains spanking of a minor. Don't like, don't read.
1. Chapter 1

Alyssa and Ducky bonded quickly and strongly. She could constantly be found in autopsy, lying on an examining table and laughing at Ducky's reminiscenes. Gibbs wondered if the teen was too comfortable with death, but then considered Abby... Lyssa would be fine.

Gibbs abruptly walked in on Ducky's tirade of memories. "... where we found both of the corporal's feet, his left hand, and his genitals, which had been-"

"Ducky!" He cut in.

"Hello, Jethro."

Alyssa smiled. "Aw, Gibbs. He was just getting to the good stuff."

"Got my bullet, Duck?" Jimmy rounded the corner then, carrying a small evidence jar which he passed to Gibbs. He signed out the evidence then looked to Alyssa. "I'm taking this to Abby. You coming?" She nodded.

"Thank you for coming down, my dear. I very much enjoyed your visit." Ducky said as she kissed him on the cheek. "I'll call you when I have more information, Jethro."

Alyssa waved goodbye to Jimmy, then turned back to Gibbs, smirking. "I'm all yours... Jethro."

He smirked back before lifting her up by the waist and toting over his shoulder to the elevator. He clamped his right arm tight around her thighs and tried to avoid being hit by her kicking stilettos.

"Hey, put me down!" She screamed, but laughed as she pounded her fists against his strong back. He bent his knees slightly and straightened back up as the elevator began to drop, making her feel like she was falling. Alyssa squealed. "Don't drop me!"

"Think you can go back to calling me 'Gibbs'?" Alyssa could hear the smile in his voice.

"Yes, definitely. Just don't drop me!"

"Deal." He leaned forward and gently set her feet back on the floor. She giggled and leaned against the elevator wall, staring at him. Her look suddenly became serious. Gibbs flipped the emergency switch, changing the elevator into his favorite conference room. He leaned against the wall opposite her, content to her wait our. It didn't take long.

"Grace calls you 'dad'."

"Yep."

"She never really knew her real dad, though, so I guess that's okay." He nodded silently. "But I don't I think I could... I mean, that..." She seemed at a loss for words, a rare problem for the teenager.

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

She slowly nodded. "Okay."

He turned the elevator back on, and they sank down to the next level in silence. When they got to Abby's lab, Alyssa turned back to him. "I think I'm gonna go home. Is that okay?"

"Sure. Grace can stay here with me." He definitely noticed her reference to his house as 'home'. Maybe she was warming up to him...

"Yeah, whatever." She turned and sped off before he could say anything else. Or not...

* * *

_The Next Day_

"So... First day of school's tomorrow. Are you guys excited?" Tony asked as Alyssa and Grace came into the NCIS office on the last day of summer.

Alyssa scoffed. "That's not the word I would've chosen."

"I'm excited, Tony!" Grace rushed up and jumped into his lap. He laughed as she continued. "My teacher, her name is Ms. Casey. We met her yesterday. And she's really nice and really pretty, and she says we're going to read Charlotte's Web! That's my favorite!"

"Wow! That sounds like fun."

"Yep!"

"What about you, Alyssa?"

"Like I said, not so excited.

"Grace is excited." Tony said, confused.

"Yeah, but she's in second grade, where the definition of drama is when someone steals your crayons."

"Oh. Remind me, what's considered drama in tenth grade?"

She considered this for a minute. "A guy cheating on his girlfriend and getting the other girl pregnant."

"Ah." Tony settled back in his chair.

Halfway across the bullpen, Gibbs froze in midstep. Guy, girlfriend, _pregnant? _Oh, no. "Lyssa, with me."

She rolled her eyes, but followed him. She waited until they were alone in the elevator before speaking. "What's up?"

He flipped the emergency switch and turned to face her. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Fighting a smile, she answered. "Not at the moment."

"Well, don't... get one." He said awkwardly. This was harder than he thought it would be.

"What?"

"I don't want you going out with anyone." He growled, knowing that she had heard him perfectly well.

"Alright, alright. Chill. Geesh. Besides, I'm totally done with guys for now. The last guy I dated, he was such a-"

"No. Not 'for now'. Until you're at least..." He thought for a moment. "Twenty one."

"You cannot be serious."

"Deadly."

"Didn't we just have this 'father' discussion earlier? And I was agreed that I wasn't ready for that?"

"We agreed that you're not ready for me to be your father. Fine. But while you live in my house, you will obey my rules."

"Are you really using that cliche?"

He just glared at her. Couldn't she see that he was just trying to keep her safe?

"Wow. Alright. Fine." She turned to the front of the elevator defiantly, arms crossed across her chest.

"Fine." He flicked the switch and the elevator jerked into motion. Alyssa made to get off at Abby's lab before he stopped her. "Oh, and Lyssa?"

"What?"

"Don't make plans for after school on Thursday."

"It's the first day of school. I doubt I'm going to have plans quite that fast."

"Good. You and Grace have appointments with a therapist for five and six."

Alyssa paused in the open doors. "What?"

"You, Grace, therapy, Thursday. Which part don't you understand." He scowled at her.

"Yeah, the thing is, I don't do therapy. It's just not my scene. But I can take Grace by, no problem..."

"It wasn't a suggestion."

"Well. If I have no choice..." She shrugged compliantly, but her eyes were flashing. She exited the elevator, fuming. Abby wasn't in her lab, but she wasn't eager to see Gibbs again, so she pulled up a chair in the empty room and turned on her iPod. She still wasn't keen on the idea of therapy, but she figured at least she would have something to talk to about a certain 'silver-haired fox' that was seriously beginning to drive her crazy.

"Hey, kid. Where's Abs?" Tony came into the room from the direction of the stairs. Ziva followed, carrying a stack of papers.

"Dunno."

"What's wrong with you?"

"He said that I had to go to therapy."

He pulled up a chair across from her as Ziva searched for a place to put the papers. "And you said?"

"That I respectfully decline."

Tony burst into laughter. "How did that work out for you?"

"Not as well as I had planned."

"He said you must go?" Ziva looked at Alyssa.

"Yeah. But at the time, it felt more like a threat."

"It was." Gibbs appeared suddenly behind her, causing both Alyssa and Tony to jump.

"Right. That's what I thought." Alyssa said, then looked back to Tony and mouthed, "How does he do that?"

"I have no idea." He mouthed back.

"Dead marine in Norfolk. Gear up."

"Bye!" Alyssa waved as they exited, leaving her alone in the lab. "See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya."

* * *

Gibbs pulled his cell phone from his pocket and stared at the screen. He still wasn't completely converted to the wonders of technology, but he had figured out early on that the best way to keep in touch with Alyssa would be texting, so he would give it his best shot. He fumbled with the keys and sent a new message.

_Where are you?_

Within seconds, his phone dinged in reply.

_On the way. B there in 5._

Gibbs stopped, sat silent at his desk until the two girls arrived and exited the elevator.

Grace squirmed out of her sister's arms and rushed off to Jethro. She threw her arms around his neck. "Good morning, Daddy!"

"Morning, princess. You sleep good?" She nodded. "You look very pretty today."

"Thanks! Lyssa helped me pick out my outfit. It's pretty, huh?" She stood up and turned around, causing her lime green skirt to swirl out. Her smile grew huge. Grace was absurdly fond of swishing skirts.

"Very nice. Good morning, Alyssa."

The teenager groaned and fell back into an office chair she had claimed for her own. She had covered it in tie-dye ducktape, and the bright colors could be seen through out the bullpen. It often floated between one desk to the other as Alyssa made her rounds, talking to everyone on Gibbs' team. She talked tech with McGee, watched Youtube clips with Tony, and discussed fashion (and possibly boys) with Ziva. Gibbs had noticed his team watching for her and Grace to follow him in, as if desperate for some meaningless chit-chat.

"It is not a good morning. There is no such thing as a _good _morning. Especially when the morning involves school, double especially when it is the _first_ day of school."

"Double especially?" Tony teased from across the aisle.

"Shut up, DiNozzo." Both Alyssa and Gibbs replied at the same time.

Jethro smiled. He knew there was a reason he liked her. "You two better get going if you don't want to be late."

"Yay!" Grace spun around in another circle. Alyssa groaned again, but louder this time. He picked up Grace to carry her back to the car, and stretched out a hand to Alyssa to help her up. She glared at him angrily for a moment before taking it.

He buckled Grace into her car seat, which was now slightly less bewildering to him. Alyssa sat in the driver's seat of her car, changing the radio station. He leaned in through the open passenger window. "Were you texting me while you were driving?"

Alyssa looked up, suprised. "Uh..."

"Do it again and you won't sit for a week. And don't do it at school, either."

"Is that a threat?"

"Yes. Have a good day." She was still sitting in the looking confused as he walked away.

* * *

Alyssa froze when she saw the figure leaning against her car.

"I came to make sure you made it to your appointment on time."

"Wow. How considerate of you."

"How was your day?" He opened the passenger door for her, and she rolled her eyes but crawled in. Grace was already sitting in the backseat, eating an ice cream cone.

"Fine."

"What were your teachers like?"

"Fine."

"Did you make any friends?"

Alyssa glared at him. "The only thing we did today is get our schedules. And I was so lost in that huge school that I spent most of my time searching for my next class. I talked to maybe two people that weren't teachers, to get directions, and they gave me the wrong ones. So yes, my day was fabulous."

"Oh." Gibbs wasn't quite sure what to say to that, so they drove on in silence, until Grace took it upon herself to resolve the tension.

"Guess what I did today, Lyssa?"

"What, Gray?"

"No, you have to guess!"

Alyssa groaned. "I don't know what you did! Just tell me!"

Gibbs glared at her and she halted what was sure to be a furious rant. "I don't think we can guess, sweetheart. Why don't you just tell us what you did?"

"I was the line leader!"

"Wow! Did you do a good job?"

"Uh-huh! Ms. Casey said I was a extra good line leader!"

"That's great."

"Yep!"

* * *

After sitting for an hour

Alyssa entered the therapist's small room. She looked around and nodded. "Not bad, doc. You make it look so much larger than it is. But your lack of motivational posters is quite disappointing. I especially like the ones with the kittens..."

"Please, come in, Alyssa. Have a seat. How are you doing?"

"Marvelous, thank you. Actually, I'm doing so well that I think I'll just skip this session..." She backed towards the door as she spoke.

The doctor smiled politely but firmly. "Sit down, Alyssa."

She sat down begrudgingly, only because she doubted she could make it all the way out the door without Gibbs catching her. "Listen, I know how this works. You sit there, all silent, waiting for me to break down and sob my eyes out, and then you tell me we're going to work through this together. And then I'll come back next week, and we'll do it all over again, with more or less crying, and again the next week. But I'm not going to do that. You have to remember, I live with Gibbs. You know, grey-haired guy with the stare of death? I don't break that easily, Doctor..."

"Jameson, but you can call me Zoe."

"Right. I don't break that easily, Zoe." Alyssa said, putting a slightly sarcastic tinge on the doctor's name.

"Special Agent Gibbs tells me you've been to therapy before?"

"Yep."

"I gather you don't really want to talk about it?"

"Nope."

"Okay, then. We can change the subject for now. How are your sleeping?"

"Rarely and poorly."

"Well, your sister really looks up to you."

"Yeah."

"And you really care about her?"

Alyssa didn't even deign an answer to this. She looked at the clock to her left and then dropped her head into her hands. This was going to be a long 58 minutes...


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! Sorry for the delay in posting. Been a busy week.**

**Since I enjoyed my first little mini contest-y thing, (Congrats to Gaben, the winner! The episode was SWAK, season 2. Virtual hugs to you!) I'm gonna have another. Here goes.**

**I love watching Gibbs and Abby communicate using sign language. First person to send me a review with the title of an episode where they sign together wins a cameo appearance in my story and the possibility of becoming a minor character! So, read, watch, review! Love, Rye **

**

* * *

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Five minutes into the therapy session, Alyssa was thoroughly unimpressed. Zoe was like every other therapist or counselor she had ever seen, asking banal questions and expecting honest answers.

Fifteen minutes in, Alyssa was determined not to say anything else to her.

Thirty-five minutes in, she was running out of people to text. These questions were getting more irksome as time went on.

Thirty-seven minutes in, she broke her temporary vow of silence. She watched Zoe scribble something down on a notepad in her lap and finally spoke. " ' Alyssa has anger management issues. She is rebellious in a typical and un-creative way. She's reluctant to express emotions of any kind.' "

Zoe paused, startled by the outburst and confused by it's meaning. "What?"

"That's what my second therapist said. It was in the report I lifted from her desk when she was talking to my mom."

"That must have been upsetting."

"I was nine. It was more than upsetting at the time."

Zoe nodded hesitantly. "That was your second therapist?"

"Yeah. The first retired immediatly after our first session. It was probably a long time coming, but that was also rather unsettling."

"Am I the third?"

"No. The fifth, actually. The third and fourth were both school counselors, and after they determined I wasn't doing drugs, sleeping around, or drinking, and that I wasn't a threat to myself or others, they let me go with a clean report."

"Mhm."

The teenager propped her feet "Isn't that in your report? I guess they're not very good at record-keeping."

"No, it's in here." Zoe flipped through a file on her desk.

"I guess it says all about how troubled I am." Alyssa said sarcastically.

"No, not really. It says you were vice-president of the French club at your old high-school, voted Best Dressed by your freshman class, in the homecoming court your sophmore year, an active participant in the school's drama club. Grade point average of 3.5." She closed the file. "Seems pretty impressive to me."

Alyssa shrugged, trying to hide how surprised she was by the extensive biography. "Not really."

Zoe looked at her watch. "Well, it seems that we've run out of time... I'll see you next week, Alyssa." She smiled sweetly as Alyssa ducked out the door.

She closed the door behind her and shoved her hands into the back pocket of her jeans. "That was... interesting." She whispered quietly.

"Did you say something, Alyssa?" Zoe's voice rang through the door.

Not quietly enough... "No, ma'am. See ya next week, doc." Alyssa skipped down the stairs before she could say anything else.

Downstairs, Grace danced around with a Barbie doll and singing, amusing the staff. She saw Gibbs sitting in the floor across the room, holding a Ken doll and laughing. Alyssa smiled. At least he was doing something right.

Later in the car, Jethro picked up his ringing cell phone. "Yeah, Gibbs." Alyssa used her mirror to make faces at Grace, causing her to giggle in the back seat. "Uh-huh... Be right there." He flipped the phone shut.

"Where are we going?" Grace asked.

"Crime scene." Gibbs said as he pulled a fast U-turn. His driving hadn't exactly improved since the girls had come to stay. A few minutes later, he pulled into a trailer park and parked the car. "Stay in the car, I won't be long." And with that, he disappeared out of the car.

Gibbs walked into the trailer, ignoring the police officers still milling about and headed straight for his team.

"Dead marine, boss."

Gibbs turned around and slapped the back of Tony's head. "I can see that, DiNozzo."

"Of course you can, boss."

"McGee, what do we know?"

"Corporal Blake Hammond, twenty eight. Gunshot to the chest. He was on leave from Norfolk."

"Oh, wow. That guy's dead." Alyssa tilted her head and stared at the corpse on the floor.

"Alyssa! I told you to wait in the car."

"Well, yeah, but..."

"You probably don't want to see this, Lyssa." Tony came up behind her and grabbed her shoulders, steering her away from the gruesome scene.

"It's not like I've never seen a dead person before, Tony." She pushed his hands away and turned back around in anger. "I've seen my mom, and my dad, my aunt..." She looked towards the body right as Ducky plunged in the liver probe. "Okay... If you'll excuse me, I think I may need to go throw up." Alyssa backed up towards the exit and ducked outside. Gibbs sighed and followed her outside.

"What's going on?" Ziva asked as she approached the trailer.

"Alyssa decided to go inside when I told her not to." He watched as Alyssa leaned against the side of the trailer, looking faint. As least she didn't puke. He'd seen agents take that kind of scene in with much less dignity. "She has problems obeying orders."

"I do not."

"Lyssa, go get me some coffee."

"No way! You just got coffee! That's totally... Oh, wait. I get it." Ziva laughed at her slow realization.

"Right." He put his hands on both her shoulders and guided her back to the car, opened the door for her. "And this is why you go to therapy."

* * *

Gibbs was in his car, flooring it to Eastmont High. First week of school, and he was already being called in. Needless to say, he was livid. He wondered vaguely when Grace's teacher would be calling him as he pulled into the parking lot and entered the school.

Alyssa sat in a folding chair in the school office, cut-off denim shorts revealing long, tanned legs. A pair of army green high-heeled sandals elongated them further. Her black lace tank top was tight and low-cut. She raised one hand in a reluctant wave. "Hey..."

"What the -?" Gibbs stripped off his sports coat and wrapped it around the teenager's shoulders, pulling it closed in front. "Don't move." He entered the office labeled vice-principal.

A middle-aged balding man sat behind the desk in a sweaty suit. The room smelled like wintermint gum and fear. "Agent Gibbs?"

"Yeah."

"You are Alyssa's father, correct?"

He paused only momentarily before replying. "Yes."

The man stood up and reached out to him. They shook hands. "I'm Allen Roth, vice-principal of Eastmont High. I believe we spoke on the phone?" Gibbs nodded. "I assume you've seen Alyssa's... um, outfit."

"Uh-huh."

"You can see why that would be considered unacceptable attire for school."

Jethro nodded. "Believe me, she wasn't wearing that when she left this morning. It won't happen again." He didn't bother sticking around, just left the office, grabbed Alyssa's arm and nearly dragged her out to the car. They left the school in silence, hers fearful, his furious.

They were close to home when Alyssa finally gathered the nerve to speak. "I told them not to call you, but they-"

"Don't."

"But I-"

"Are you really going to try to talk your way out of this?" He asked.

She thought for a moment then shook her head. "No."

"That's the first smart thing you've done today."

"Wow, thanks, Gibbs. I love you, too." She said sarcastically, then gasped silently. Had she really just said that? She had meant to return a smart comment, but saying she loved him, even in a sarcastic way, was a shock to herself. It made her wonder, did she mean it?

He didn't seem to notice her surprise and replied immediatly. "I didn't say that I didn't love you. I said that you've been doing pretty stupid stuff today, whether I love you or not."

"So you do love me?"

He sighed and almost chuckled. "Thought you weren't going to try to talk your way out of this?"

She actually laughed. "I changed my mind." They arrived at the house then, and he ordered her upstairs to change. "What for?"

"You're going back to school."

"Why? It's already twelve o'clock, and it's not like I'm really going to miss anything."

"This is not a discussion."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine." Alyssa disappeared up the stairs and re-appeared a few moments later. She wore skin-tight jeans and a tee-shirt with words printed across the front. It took a moment for Gibbs to make them out as she rushed around, gathering her stuff. _This shirt would look better on your floor._

"Wait a second." He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.

"What?" She turned around angrily.

He pushed her gently back towards the stairs. "You're not wearing that, either. Go change."

"Again?" He simply stared at her until she went back up the stairs. Once in her room, Alyssa giggled as she pulled the shirt over her head. It had been a gag gift from a friend a few years back, the 'slut shirt'. She'd never worn it before, but she knew how it would irritate Gibbs, and couldn't resist baiting him with it.

A few minutes later, she came down the stairs in a rush, paused in front of him, and turned around like a fashion model. "Acceptable?" This chosen outfit consisted of a dark wash jeans, a blue plaid button-up shirt, and cowgirl boots. Multiple colored bangles jingled around the girl's wrist.

"Acceptable."

"Great. Can we go now?"

"Sure."

She jumped into his car and he drove her back to school.

"You weren't wearing that when you left this morning."

"Um, actually I was. You just couldn't tell under the sweatshirt and hoodie."

He groaned. This girl was a handful. "Why?"

"Why, what?"

"Why'd you wear that to school?"

She sighed. "I don't know, I just did."

"I don't believe that."

"What? Do you think there's some deep, psychological reason why I decided to dress like a hooker?"

"Maybe."

"Well, there's not." She sighed, and he stayed silent, content to wait. It didn't take long. "Everyone's talking about me."

"What do you mean?"

" 'That chick that got kidnapped this summer. Her sister, too. Both of their parents are dead. Can you believe it?' I hate being gossip."

"Uh-huh."

Alyssa smiled wryly. "So I figured it they were going to talk about me anyways, I might as well give them something interesting to say."

* * *

Once both the girls had come back home from school and Gibbs had left work, they all settled down for dinner. Grace gave an exhaustive report on her day at school, including when she had given the right answer to a question, and the boy who had pulled on her Abby-inspired pigtails.

"You know what that means, don't you, Gray?" Alyssa asked as she forked more Chinese food onto her plate.

"Nuh-uh. What?"

"He thinks you're cute."

"Ew!" Gibbs and Alyssa both laughed at her reaction. "Boys are icky! They have cooties!"

"Does Gibbs have cooties, then?"

"No. Daddies don't have cooties." She answered very matter-of-factly.

"That's good to know. I won't have to worry about being contagious." Gibbs smiled.

Later that night, after Gibbs had tucked Grace into bed, he headed downstairs to where Alyssa was seated under his boat, reading a novel.

"Hey."

"Hi." With the pleasantries exchanged, they went to their own hobbies for a while.

"Do you think you could build things other than boats?" Alyssa questioned him.

"Like what?" He asked, confused as to where this conversation was going.

"I don't know, maybe like... a bed?"

"Probably. I've never tried."

She nodded slowly. "I always had this fantasy of having a bed that was hand made, one of a kind, only for me. One that I could come home to after a long day and lay down in and know it was made just for me. It's probably stupid. " She stood up and ran a hand over the strong wood, eyes distant.

"That's not stupid at all." After a few moments, Jethro spoke. "You're not the kind of girl that wears slutty clothes to school just for attention, are you? You pretend to be, but you're not."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. You think you have to be strong on the outside so you don't get hurt."

Alyssa thought about this for a moment, gathered her book and headed up the stairs. "Hmm. That's a pretty accurate description, Gibbs. But... Was it me you're talking about, or you?"

**Reviews make me smile big (and post faster)! Oh oh! And there's a poll on my profile. You get candy for voting! (Just kidding about the candy part.)**

**Love, Rye**


	3. Chapter 3

**Gah! Don't you people love me? No one replied to my little contest-y thing, so you all lose. Fail, my friends, FAIL. But because I love my readers, I will give a second chance. Same question. C'mon, somebody's gotta know one episode where they sign! There's gotta be at least five eps. So get at it people!**

**Despite my slight disappointment, I still love you! Please continue to read! :D **

**~Rye**

The next day of school was not much better for Alyssa, though she had dressed far more appropriately. Her nerves were wearing thin from the all the curious looks she received during school hours. She actually craved the time she spent at NCIS, where everyone was starting to feel more like family.

Tony was an obnoxious older brother type, but Grace loved him for all his antics. Alyssa even found him funny at times, not that she would ever admit it to him. On more than one occasion, Alyssa found herself stuck in an elevator with Tony, and they would both exit giggling and teasing each other.

Ziva and Abby were the older sisters Alyssa had always dreamed of having. Ziva was always available to talk boys with her, and Abby was great at finding new music. Alyssa felt that they definitely always had her back. They were in the process of planning a Girl's Night Out for the coming week, and were all very excited.

McGee was brilliant homework help, and the greatest listening ear when Alyssa needed someone to rant to. He was open and honest with her, which she appreciated greatly. After she professed her love for Deep Six, he let her read pieces of his newest work. Grace loved him too, for all the attention he paid to her. He let her play video games on his computer sometimes, and brought her books to read.

Ducky was always good for entertaining stories. He amused both Grace and Alyssa with his tales of cases past, while carefully editing out the macabre for the little girl. He was also a reliable sounding board and source of advice, although Alyssa was occasionally reluctant to take it. It usually involved listening to and obeying Gibbs...

Gibbs was an entirely different matter himself. His relationship with Alyssa was still strained, but the comfort factor was increasing slightly each day. They could hold a conversation, and managed to share the basement in peace. Part of Alyssa hated him for existing, and part of her was craving his attention. There had even been that recent "I love you" incident...He was right. She did need therapy.

Of course, Grace had taken to him immediatly as her surrogate father, but Grace made fast friends with strangers. She clung to him often, always 'Daddy'-ing him. Needless to say, he was hopelessly wrapped around her tiny finger.

NCIS was really becoming a second home to Alyssa, and the team was her extended family. It was a new feeling for her. She had never had any close relatives before besides Grace and her mother, and the people Alyssa had considered friends before were now becoming strangers. Only two friends from her old school had contacted her in the past week, and they were only good for small-talk text messages.

Alyssa's ex-boyfriend, Zack, had been one of the two. They had broken up months ago, but he had continued texting her. She had always considered him annoying and a bit infuriating, but now that her old class-mates were seeming like a distant dream, she engaged him in conversation, desperate for a sense of the normality she knew before.

And that was exactly what Alyssa was doing as she drove herself and Grace to the NCIS office, going a good ten miles over the speed limit.

"So how was your day, babe?"

"Fun! We read a story about a frog today."

"No way! That's exactly what I did today, too!" Alyssa kidded her sister.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

"Nooo!"

"Nah, I'm kidding. I didn't read a story about a frog, I dissected one."

"Gross!" Grace squealed and made a face at the teddy bear she was holding.

"I was just kidding, Gray. I didn't do anything involving frogs today."

"Oh." Now Grace looked somewhat disappointed. Alyssa chuckled. There was no pleasing her.

Alyssa glanced apprehensively at her phone resting on the dash every few seconds while continuing to make small talk with Grace. When the phone finally vibrated violently, she snatched it up to read the text. She tried to keep her eyes on the road, but wasn't really paying it the deserved attention. Alyssa felt a small bump, and before she had time to look up from the phone's screen, her car had crashed into a ditch. Alyssa gasped and twisted the wheel entirely too late. Grace screamed from the backseat.

Alyssa turned around in her seat so fast, she nearly got whiplash. "Are you okay?" Grace sniffled, but nodded. "Okay, good." She turned back in her seat, leaning forward to see the damage through the cracked windshield. Not too bad, considering, but she definitely wasn't going to be able to get out of the ditch by herself."Fu-dge brownies!" She pressed her hand to her forehead and took a deep breath.

"Lyssie?"

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"What are you gonna do?"

"I ... I'm going to call Gibbs. I just need a minute to compose myself. Okay?" Grace nodded, hugging her teddy bear tight. "And we just won't tell him that I was texting. There's no reason to do that."

"We're gonna lie?"

"No. No, of course not. We're just going to... carefully omit. Actually, I'm going to lie. You just, you don't say anything." Grace nodded reluctantly. "Okay, then." Alyssa picked up her cell phone from where it had fallen on the floor. She stared at the screen for a minute, trying to work up the nerve, then dialed a number. She anxiously shook her leg as the phone rang once, twice...

"Gibbs."

"Hi, Gibbs."

"Alyssa, hey. Where are you guys?"

"Um... Interesting question. We're in the car... which may or may not be in a ditch on the side of the road. Make of that what you will."

"_What?"_

"In car, in ditch... Which part did you miss?"

"You're both okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. Just, you know... Chillin'."

He groaned. Her sarcasm was definitely intact. "Where are you?" Alyssa told him the road name. "I'll be there in five."

Four minutes and thirty six seconds later (not that she was counting), she saw Gibbs car speeding up the road. Alyssa pulled Grace from her car seat in the back as both Jethro, Tony, and Ziva exited their car.

Upon seeing Gibbs, Grace immediatly reached out to him and he took her from Alyssa. "Daddy, we wrecked."

"I can see that."

"Nicely done, Lys." Tony said as he examined the front end of the car.

"Thanks, Tony. I was aiming more for that bush there, but I think I did a pretty decent job of hitting the ditch straight on." She said, smirking.

"What happened, Lyssa?" Gibbs approached her where she was standing nervoulsy by the driver's side, running her fingers through her hair repeatedly. He recognized the gesture. She only did it when she was extremely nervous.

"Some guy ran me off the road."

"You get his plates?"

"Uh, no. I was kind of busy freaking out."

"What kind of car was it?" Ziva asked.

"I don't know!

"Well, was it an SUV, or a truck, or a car...?

"I don't freakin' know! It was a-a green one!"

"Green?"

"Yes, Ziva! Green!"

"Okay, green. Right."

Gibbs sighed. What the hell had really happened here? Why was Alyssa being unnecessarily difficult? Was it just him, or was Grace heavier than she had been yesterday?

He was briefly grateful for the fact that his hair was already gray.

* * *

Two hours later, things had calmed down significantly. Both girls were back at the NCIS office, safe and doing their homework in Abby's lab. Tony had taken Alyssa's car to a shop, who affirmed that the damage was minor and fixable. The only thing that hadn't changed was the amount of information gleaned from Alyssa's eyewitness report of the accident. "I didn't really see anything..." was all that Gibbs had been able to get from her about it. Grace was uncharacteristically silent on the subject.

"McGee!"

"Yeah, boss."

Gibbs dropped a cell phone onto the desk in front of Tim. It clattered noisily and he scrambled to pick it up, looking confused. "I want the time of the last text sent out."

McGee nodded and flipped opened the phone, clicked at buttons for a few moments. "The last text out was at one twenty-five."

"And the last call?"

"Um... To you, at one twenty-six."

"Interesting, don't you think, McGee? That I would get a call from Alyssa saying that she had been run off the road by a vehicle that she could only describe as 'green', when she was sending texts while driving only a minute before?"

McGee paused, unsure what to say. "I wouldn't know, boss."

"I think I do."

**Uh-oh. Alyssa's in trouble. What do you think will happen? Send me reviews, messages, whatever! I love to hear your input!**

**~Rye**


	4. Chapter 4

**Uber quick post this time! Yay, right? Review please! Warning: This chapter contains spanking of a minor. Don't like it, don't read it. No need to send me hater reviews. BUT all other reviews are greatly appreciated! Much love, Rye**

_Later that night_

Gibbs had given Alyssa the entire day to come clean about the accident, but she hadn't. All through homework and dinner, he had been quiet and available, but she hadn't come to him. She obviously wasn't feeling remorse about the incident. Probably was relieved that she hadn't been caught.

Now he and the two girls were in the basement together. Grace sat on the floor, coloring and chattering at anyone who would listen. Alyssa was reading a book beside her. Gibbs worked on the boat as he normally did, and resisted the urge to have a little bourbon. He knew he needed to keep a clear head to deal with Alyssa.

"Gracie, why don't you go play in your room for a bit? Alyssa and I need to have a little chat."

"Okey-doke." Grace scrambled out of her chair and ran back to her room, unaware of the tension now filling the basement.

Alyssa leaned against the boat. "What's up, Gibbs?" As he took a step closer, she slowly eased away. He looked angry.

"You tell me, Alyssa."

Yep, he was angry.

"Um, nothing much..."

"No? Just been chilling out, texting your friends? That's what your phone says you've been doing anyway."

"What do you mean?" Alyssa reached into the back right pocket of her jeans, where she always kept her phone. Empty. Other pocket, also empty. Both front pockets were the same. "Did you...You took my phone?"

"What, this one?" Gibbs pulled her phone from his pocket and held it up. "Yes, I did. But I wouldn't really consider it your phone anymore, as you're not going to have it for at least a month."

Alyssa's startling blue eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Your phone. The one you were using to text your friends while you were driving yesterday." Alyssa winced. He had figured that out fast. "The one that I'm going to be keeping for the next few weeks."

"That is so not fair!"

Gibbs sat down in a chair, turning the phone over in his hands as he looked at her. "Please, tell me how that is not fair."

"Okay. Fine. Let's evaluate the situation here. The car is not badly damaged. Totally fixable. Neither Grace nor I were injured, at all. I think overall this was not such a crisis as you are making it out to be." Alyssa attempted to reason with him, trying to keep the anger boiling inside from leaking into her words. She knew that pissing him off even more was not going to help her case.

"Are you saying I should reward you for not killing anyone?"

"Um. Well, when you put it like that…"

"And have I not warned you about texting while driving?"

"Yeah…"

"What, exactly, did I say would happen if you were caught texting and driving?"

"You can _not_ be serious." She crossed her arms over her chest and took a step forward, as if daring him.

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

Alyssa looked into his steel blue eyes. Once she saw the anger flashing in them, she took a step back. "Not particularly..."

"Because I'm not."

"But..."

"Come here." Gibbs beckoned her to him with one finger.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Alyssa Marie..."

"No way! That's so not happening. I'm _not _your daughter, Gibbs, okay? I'm not Kelly. You can't just spank me because you want to. I'm sixteen, okay? And I know how the next few years are gonna go. You put up with me for a few more months, and then I'll be gone. I'll come back for Gracie, and then you won't ever have to hear from either of us again, okay?"

"Damn it, Alyssa! You're not listening to me at all."

"Well, what are you trying to say?"

Jethro groaned and stood up, walked over to where she was now trapped between him and the boat. She tried to back towards the left before he managed to wrap his strong fingers around her upper arm. "Alright, obviously we need to clear some things up first." He picked up another chair and dropped it directly across from the first. He dropped Alyssa into one and sat down in the other, still keeping a tight grip on her arm in case she tried to make a break for it. "Alyssa, you may not be my blood relative, but you and Grace are just as much my daughters as Kelly ever was." Alyssa didn't respond, just looked away. Her tear-filled eyes confessed what she was trying to hide. "Do you not know that?"

Alyssa sniffled, trying not to cry. "Yeah, I guess..."

"Don't guess. I'm serious."

"Yes, sir."

"Don't start that with me again."

"Sorry. Habit."

Satisfied that she wasn't going to run (yet, anyways), Gibbs removed his hand from her arm and settled back into his chair. "Your dad... He was a good guy."

Alyssa looked confused. "I know."

"Your mom, too."

"Yeah..."

"You don't think they both would have wanted you to be happy here?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"But, what?"

"I can't just forget them."

"I'm not asking you to. I could never forget Shannon, or Kelly. But you and Grace are my daughters now. Daniel will always be your father, but that doesn't mean I can't be, too."

Alyssa processed this for what seemed like ages to him. Then she nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

"Good. Second thing, I'm not punishing you because I want to. I'm punishing you because you deserved to be punished, because you screwed up royally, put your life and other's in danger, and I can't let that slide."

"Wait..."

He sighed again. "What, Lyssa?"

"You're still gonna punish me? But I thought..." Her voice trailed off.

"I don't know what you thought, but yes, I am."

"Shi-ps. C'mon, Gibbs. Do you hafta? You're already taking my phone, can't you just-"

"No. I can't. Come on, let's get this over with." Before she could put up much of a fight, Gibbs had lifted Alyssa from her chair and pulled her face-down across his lap.

She gasped and grabbed the leg of the chair, trying to keep her balance. She had just begun to try to push herself upright when the first smack came down. "Ow!" One hand trailed back to stop his from coming down again, but he simply pinned it to her back and continued on. "Ow, ow, OW! Geez, Gibbs, quit it already! I got it, I got it!" Smack after smack came down on her unprotected backside as she struggled unsuccessfully to escape. "Ouch! Sh-OW!"

Gibbs paused after delivering a particularly hard slap. "Watch your language, Lyssa."

"Are you frickin' kidding me?"

"Nope." Another volley of smacks came down before he paused again. "Alyssa, tell me why you are receiving this punishment."

Alyssa took a deep breath, trying to keep tears at bay. She wanted desperately to rub the sting from her bottom, but she could barely even wiggle from her position. Her cheeks burned in embarassment, and also shame. "Because... I was texting and driving and you told me not to."

"And?"

"And... I put my life and Gracie's and everyone's around me in danger."

"Good. And?"

"And? There's more?"

"Yes, Alyssa. There's more."

"Fu-dge. I don't know. Because I ticked you off?"

He chuckled. Amazing how she was able to retain her sense of humor, even in this position. "Not quite."

"I don't know, then."

"Becuase you lied to me, Lyssa. And you got Grace to lie alongside you."

She sniffled, and a tear ran down her cheek. "Oh. Right. That, too."

"Good. Now that you understand, I can continue."

"Continue-?" Alyssa gasped as another round came down on her butt, this time provoking tears. He continued for nearly a minute more, ignoring her sobs, before he pulled her upright and into his arms. She settled down gingerly on his lap, avoiding letting anything come in contact with her burning backside.

Gibbs rubbed soft circles onto her back, holding her close. "Shh, it's okay. It's all over now." She continued to cry into his sweatshirt for a bit before pulling back. Gently, he wiped the tears from her cheeks. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Guess so."

"Good. C'mon, let's get you in bed."

"Bed, Gibbs? But it's just nine o'clock!"

"I think an early bedtime tonight might do you some good."

She sighed. "If I gotta..."

"You gotta." He helped her stand up and lead her up the stairs, chuckling quietly as she tried to rub away the spanking. "It's not gonna help you much, sweetheart."

"It might." She giggled as she climbed into the bed, curled up on her side. He sat down beside her, tucking her in. "So.. Since you already spanked me, does that mean I get my phone back?"

He sat in shocked silence. "You're kidding."

She giggled again, louder. The girl recovered quickly. "Yeah. Not that I'd object if you wanted to-"

"No!"

"Okay, then. I guess I deserve that."

" 'You guess', you little brat..." He said teasingly and tickled her side.

"Stop, stop!" She laughed and squirmed until he relented.

"Alright, get to sleep. I've got to go talk to Grace."

"What?" At this Alyssa sat up, wincing as her bottom came in contact with the mattress. "But you're not gonna spank her, are you?"

He raised one eyebrow. "She lied to me, too, Lyssa."

"No, Gibbs, please don't! She's little, she'll do whatever I tell her to. Please, please don't." Tears returned in the teen's blue eyes.

"I wasn't planning on it. She needs to be punished, but I think a little corner time will do. Like you said, she was just listening to you. And you are not going to encourage her to lie again, are you?" He asked, scoldingly.

"No, sir."

"And you're not going to lie to me again, either."

"No."

"Because I guarantee it, next time you'll get my belt."

Alyssa winced. "Got it. Not interested. No lying."

"Good girl." He kissed her forehead and tucked her back into the bed.

"Go to sleep, Lyssa."

"Yes, sir."

"Now you're just doing that to irritate me."

She giggled. "Sorry. Good night, Gibbs."

"Night, Lyssa. I love you." He flipped the light off as he left the room. Through the nearly closed door, he could barely make out her whisper. "Love you, too."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi! Rye again. Except... I have nothing to say. Gasp. Congrats to IrishDipstick and cheether for winning the contest! Two of the episodes were Seadog and Switch. You go, people! I'll message you soon, I promise.**

**No warnings this time, so read on, my friends.**

"Gracie, we need to talk."

"Okay." Grace was sitting in the floor of her bedroom, an assortment of dolls and stuffed animals scattered around her. She sat up as soon as Jethro entered and watched him pull the chair out from the desk and sit down.

"About the accident today. You wouldn't tell me what happened." Grace's grin faded and she visibly pouted. She shook her head silently. "You didn't tell me that Alyssa had been texting while she was driving when I had already told her not to."

Grace's blue eyes, color so similar to her adoptive fathers, grew large. "Is Lyssa in trouble?"

"Not anymore..." Gibbs paused mid-thought. "Although, I wouldn't say she's completely off the hook." He cleared his throat. "But we're not talking about Alyssa right now. We're talking about you, and how you lied to me."

"I'm sorry."

Gibbs groaned inwardly. She was probably too young to explain the whole, 'sign of weakness' thing. "That's okay, but do you understand why what you did was wrong?" Grace nodded, tears gathering in her eyes. "And you know that you have to be punished?" This was harder than spanking Lyssa. Alyssa hadn't looked so sad and cute...

Gibbs stood, picked up the kids' sized chair against the wall and sat it down in the corner. He nodded pointedly to Grace, who ambled over and sat down. At least she didn't have to be told twice. "Alright, Grace. You're going to sit here for a few minutes, and think about how lying to me was wrong, and how you're not going to do it again. Got it?"

"Got it." She sniffled a little then planted her nose in the corner.

After fixing himself a much needed cup of coffee, Gibbs re-entered Grace's room to the exact same scene he had left. She was perfectly still in the chair in the corner, and completely quiet except for soft sniffling sounds. "Your time's up, sweetheart." He pulled back the chair and she jumped up, throwing her arms around his neck.

"I'm really sorry I promise I'll never do it 'gain I'm so so really sorry!" Grace talked like Abby, getting as much information as she possibly could in the briefest amount of time.

"It's okay, I know. I know you're not going to do it again, and everything's forgiven now, okay?"

"Do you still love me even though I'm a bad girl?" She sniffled.

"Gracie, listen to me. You are not a bad girl." He gently laid her down on the bed and tucked her in tight, the same as he had done with Alyssa. "You did a bad thing, that's not the same."

"I didn't want you to be mad at Lyssa..." Grace played with a thread on the new bedspread he had bought her.

"I'm not mad at Lyssa. I'm not mad at you, either."

"Ya sure?"

"Positive." Gently, he wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Oh. Okay."

"Okay, then. Time to go to sleep, babe."

"Do I gotta?"

He laughed. She was just like her sister. "Yeah, you gotta."

"Alrighty."

He gave the six year old her teddy bear, re-tucked the blankets and kissed her softly on the forehead. "Goodnight, Gracie. I love you."

Grace yawned. "Love you, too!"

* * *

_A few days later_

Grace skipped over to Tim and climbed up into his lap. Over the past few weeks, she had become increasingly comfortable with everyone on Gibbs' team, freely giving them hugs and kisses. She craved attention, even though she got more than enough.

"McGee?"

"Yeah, Gracie?"

"What's 'decapitated' mean?"

Tim's eyes shot up from the computer screen. "Um, where'd you hear that, Gray?"

"I heard Tony say it." Grace looked confused, and Tim shot Tony an accusing look.

"Well, I don't think that's a word you should know just yet..."

"McGee! Are you corrupting my daughter?" Gibbs stepped out from the opening elevator.

"No! I was just... explaining..."

"Explaining what, McGee? Don't you have work to do?"

"Yeah, on it, boss."

"Grace, why don't you go downstairs and see what Lyssa's doing? We're all kind of busy up here."

Grace sighed dramatically and climbed down from Tim's chair. "Okay."

"Good girl. Alyssa's in Abby's lab. Just make sure you don't bother Abby if she's busy, and don't touch anything."

"Okeedokee." Grace skipped into the elevator and pressed the floor for Abby's lab, thinking how cool it was that she was allowed to go by herself. She entered the room to find only Alyssa, sitting in her signature colorful chair and writing in a notebook.

"Hi, Lyssa."

Alyssa didn't even look up. "Hi, Grace."

"Watcha doin?"

"Gray, leave me alone. I'm doing homework."

Grace pouted. "Where's Abby?"

"Don't know. She just left. You can stick around and wait for her, just be quiet, okay?"

"Fine." Grace wandered around the lab, examining all the equipment. She stared up at a big machine next to a rack filled with dozens of tiny clear tubes. Wonder what those are for?

Gracie peeked over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching, but Alyssa still had her head buried in text book. She was in the clear. After sliding over a chair, she stood on top of it and pulled herself up onto the counter. She sat down and reached out to the glass tubes. Turning one in her hand, she examined the object. It was empty, and completely uninteresting. She was just about to set it back down and find something more amusing when a voice called out her name.

"Grace! Put that down!" Grace startled when Alyssa yelled. Her older sister had jumped from her chair and was reaching out to grab the tube when it slipped from Grace's fingers. Alyssa caught it just before it hit the floor, but the glass shattered on impact when it hit her hand. Alyssa sucked in a deep breath through her teeth as slivers of glass trickled down. She opened her fist, revealing a long, jagged gash across her palm.

"Oh, no! I'm sorry, Lyssie, I didn't mean to-" Gracie wriggled, trying to climb down from her perch on the counter.

"No, Grace. Don't get down, you'll get cut." Alyssa put out her other hand to stop her sister.

"I'm so sorry!" Grace was beginning to tear up when the elevator doors dinged open.

Tony stepped out. "Hey girls, where's Abby?" He stopped walking towards them when he saw the glass on the floor. "Uh-oh. What happened?"

"I just-" Alyssa began to cover for her sister.

"I dropped it, Tony! It was all my fault and now Lyssa's hurt!" Tears sprung from her eyes as she cried in the typical little girl way.

"Alright, we can take care of it." Tony stepped over to them, the glass crunching under his Gucci shoes. He picked Grace up from her seat when the elevator dinged again. This time Abby exited. "Hey, Abby, be careful. There's broken glass over here."

"Oh, no!" Abby crossed the lab in a flash. "Well, it's just a test tube, that's good. I've got hundreds. Is Lyssa okay?"

"Yeah, I was just going to take her up to Ducky."

"Okay." Abby waved as Tony, Alyssa, and Grace disappeared into the elevator.

"Hi, Ducky!"

"Hello, Alyssa, Anthony, Grace. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Broken test tube, Duck. Alyssa sliced up her hand pretty bad." Tony answered, and Alyssa sent him a glare. What, did she expect him to not say anything?

Alyssa hopped onto an empty exam table, holding out her injured hand. Tony set Grace beside her. "Well, let's have a look, my dear." Ducky grimaced on sight of the wound. "That's fairly deep, and I think there may be some glass in there... Mr Palmer, if you would please bring me some tweezers, and my sewing kit. I think this will need stitches."

"Stitches? Nuh-uh. I don't do needles." Alyssa responded when the elevator dinged yet again. "Hi, Gibbs." She said, without turning around.

"Hey, Lyss. What's going on here?"

"Lyssa got cut up in Abby's lab. Seems a certain little one here went exploring a bit..." Tony said, nudging Grace's shoulder.

Grace cried. "I didn't mean to break it! I didn't know it was gonna hurt Lyssa, either, I promise!"

"It's okay, Gray, I know you didn't mean to." Alyssa said, and put her free arm over her sister, giving her a hug.

"Grace, I told you not to mess with Abby's lab."

"I'm sorry!"

"You will be..." Gibbs rushed over, watching as Ducky cleaned the wound.

Alyssa winced. "Oh, leave her alone, Gibbs. She didn't mean to."

"Keep your opinions to yourself, Lyssa. I'll handle this."

"And if you would keep still, Alyssa..." Ducky said as he struggled to keep the teen's hand from moving.

"I don't- OW! Ducky! That hurt."

"Hold still, Lyss." Gibbs jumped up onto the table, holding her tight to his chest.

"You're not gonna have to stitch it up are ya, Ducky? Just stick a few band-aids on it, I'll be fine."

"I'm afraid not, dear. It's quite deep. It needs to be stitched."

"Crap. I don't like needles."

"Says the girl with the tattoo." Tony spoke up from the corner.

"Har har. It's on my back for a reason. You can't see needles going into your back." Alyssa dropped her voice. "And I may or may not have been a little wasted at the time."

"I don't know who you think you're keeping that from." Gibbs said. "I'm sitting right behind you."

"Right. Of course you are."

***Sigh* Alyssa... Grace... They just can't keep themselves out of trouble, can they?**

**P.S.- I hope everyone didn't get an update just because I added on a little note. Sorry. :/ But I forgot to say PLEASE REVIEW! It makes me do my happy dance. Also, I have pictures of Alyssa and Grace on my profile page. They look just like I imagined them! So, clicky clicky! Thanks, Rye**


	6. Chapter 6

Alyssa visibly cringed as Ducky removed a needle and thread from a sewing kit. "Ducky, please..." Her voice trailed off as Ducky didn't respond, just threaded the needle. She turned sideways on the table. "Gibbs..."

"Nice try."

"Tony!"

He laughed from the corner, shaking his head. "Sorry, kid. Can't help ya."

"DiNozzo, move. Grace is going to occupy that corner for a bit." Gibbs said, sending Grace a pointed glance. She pouted, then sulkingly took Tony's place in the corner.

"Don't, Gibbs, she didn't mean to."

"Alyssa. I said I would handle this."

"Whatever."

Gibbs rolled his eyes. She had to be being difficult on purpose. Who knew teenagers had that much attitude?

Ducky took a step closer and held Alyssa's hand still as he began to stitch the wound closed. Alyssa sucked in a deep breath through her teeth. "S***, that hurts."

"Alyssa!" Gibbs scolded, giving her a sharp smack to thigh.

"Ow, sorry, sorry."

"You're just digging yourself a deeper hole."

"The deeper my hole gets, the farther away from you I am." Alyssa smirked, barely containing a laugh.

"You're a brat." He smacked her thigh again, laughing softly.

"You know I'm just kidding... Mostly." She turned farther in her seat, deliberately avoiding looking at her injured palm. "Am I in trouble?"

"No. Not today, anyways."

"Humor. Ha. Ducky, is it over yet?"

"Almost, dear."

Alyssa groaned loudly. "For real, this is like...Ugh! WTF." She said, spelling out letters. DiNozzo, who was now leaning against the exam table next to her, snickered loudly.

Gibbs raised one eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing, Gibbs. Nothing." Alyssa exchanged a conspiring glance with Tony, who coughed to cover up more laughter.

"I don't appreciate being lied to, Alyssa." He said, as Ducky quickly snipped the remaining thread from Alyssa's stitches.

"Don't think of it as lying, then. Think of it as... intentional removal of information." She jumped from her seat as the medical examiner finished. "And now, I have homework to finish, so if you'll excuse me..." Before he could say anything else, she had sprinted up the stairs.

She was probably avoiding him. Avoiding getting herself in more trouble, which was actually probably a good idea.

Tony made a quick excuse and followed her out.

"Grace, come here." She scampered over slowly, thumb in her mouth. Gibbs groaned inwardly. He thought she had quit that habit. He gently moved her fist from her face, picking her up and sitting her in his lap. "I told you not to touch anything in Abby's lab."

"I just wanted to see what it was..." She mumbled, her voice quiet and low. She sounded close to tears.

"Do you know why I told you not to mess with her things?"

" 'Cuz somebody could get hurt."

"Exactly, like how Lyssa got hurt."

"I'm really sorry..."

"I know. We'll talk about it later at home."

Grace sniffled audibly. "Am I gonna get a spankin'?"

"Probably."

"I really don't wanna."

"That's kind of the point, Grace."

"Oh."

"Now I'm going to take you back down to Abby, and you can apologize to her for messing with her things. Got it?"

"Yeah."

"And then you can come back upstairs with me and do your homework until it's time to go home."

"Okaaay." She whined and sighed deeply, sounding like her sister.

Gibbs took a deep breath and lead her to the elevator. If he thought one daughter with an attitude with bad... Two was nearly impossible.

~~~~~:D

_Later at home_

"Gracie..." The little blonde had her nose stuck back in a corner. On the way back from NCIS, she had developed an attitude with Gibbs. It had been a long night, and she was certainly very tired, but that didn't give her permission to be a brat. She was learning from her sister, he was sure. "Do you know why you're in the corner?"

"Cuz I was bad."

"How were you bad?"

"I had a attitude."

"Right. Next time you have an attitude, it won't just be corner time, understood?"

"Yeah."

"Come here." She shuffled over to him on her bed, looking only at the floor. He gently lifted her chin to look at him. "Tell me why you're getting a spanking."

" 'Cuz I played with Abby's things."

"Did I tell you not to?"

"Yess..."

Without speaking, he lifted her onto his lap and spilled her over his knee in one quick motion. She struggled a little at her world being tipped upside down, but quickly settled down, until he landed the first smack on her sweatpants-clad backside. After twenty swats, Grace was sobbing and repentant. He gave her a final smack to her sit spot and pulled her into his arms. She hiccuped into his shoulder as he rubbed her back in circles. "It's alright, it's over now."

"I'm sorry I disobeyed."

"I know you are. And now you won't do it again, right?"

She sniffled. "Nope, not ever, ever 'gain."

"Good girl." He laid her down on the bed and tucked her in tight.

"I want Lyssa." Grace whimpered.

"Sure, baby. I'll get her for you." He kissed her softly on the forehead. "Good night, hun. I love you."

"Love you, too, Daddy."

Leaning through Alyssa's doorway, he knocked on the wall. She was lying on her bed and looked up from an open book. "Huh?"

"Your sister wants you." She was out of the bed and down the hallway before he could say anything else.

Alyssa entered the room and sat down on the bed beside her sister, rubbing the little girl's back. "What's wrong, honey?"

Grace sniffled. "Daddy spanked me."

"Yeah, I know."

"I'm sorry I hurted you." Her little thumb slid back into her mouth.

"It's alright, hun. No worries. Go to sleep." Alyssa tenderly brushed her sister's long hair with her fingers.

"Will you sing me a song?"

She sighed, but agreed. "Sure." Alyssa cleared her throat and then softly began singing to her sister. "There's a song that's inside of my soul. It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again. I'm awake in the infinite cold. But you sing to me over and over and over again." Jethro leaned against the door frame, listening as the teenager's soft and sweet voice floated out to his ears. "So I lay my head back down. And I lift my hands and pray to be only yours. I pray to be only yours. I know now you're my only hope..." She quietly stopped singing, paused before whispering. "Are you asleep?" There was no response. Alyssa exited a moment later, closing the door softly behind her. She seemed only slightly suprised to see Gibbs standing outside. "Of course you would be standing here, doorway stalker."

"You didn't tell me you could sing."

"What, can't you?" She smirked. "Sometimes Grace likes lullabies, so I sing them for her."

He smiled. "You have a beautiful voice."

"Not really."

"Yes, really."

"Nope."

"Do you have to argue with everything I say?"

"I would say yes, but then I would be agreeing with you. Ow!" She yelped as his hand connected with the back of her head.

"Smart a**."

She just laughed as she walked past him to her room. "I know, but that's why you love me."

"Oh, sure." He reached out and caught her arm as she turned to go into her bedroom.

"Huh?"

"I need to talk to you."

Alyssa's grey blue eyes narrowed. "I don't like when you say that."

"Tough. Come on." He lead her into the living room and sat down across from her on the coffee table. "I'm going out of town for a few days."

"Oh, for reals?"

"I'm not entirely sure what you just said, but yes."

"Awesome!" Alyssa's eyes lit up mischeviously.

He narrowed his steel gaze at her. "I need to know if I can trust you to stay here and watch Grace and not get into trouble."

"Of course you can, Gibbs."

He leaned back. "You're suddenly becoming very compliant."

Alyssa had no response for this. "How long will you be gone?"

"A week. Abby will come and stay a few nights, and Ziva might stay once, but you'll mostly be on your own."

"Sweet."

"I am not at all reassured."

"Don't worry, Gibbs. I can totally take care of Grace. She's not exactly a troublesome kid. As long as she's got some crayons and paper, she's fine."

"You're right, _Grace_ isn't trouble. Now you, Alyssa, are a different story..."

"Me? I can take care of myself. I'll be fine."

"Maybe. If you can stay out of trouble."

"I will." She said. Her voice was level, and her eyes stayed locked on his.

He had to give it to her, she was a pretty decent liar. "If you so much as think about touching my bourbon..."

"I won't, I won't. No worries, Gibbs. Chill."

"I don't think I can 'chill' with the idea of you in this house for a week by yourself. You know, forget this. I'll tell Leon I can't make it. He can find another team."

"No! Gibbs, please. Trust me."

"That's the problem, I don't."

"Well then, you probably have trust issues. Something you should really work on in therapy. But in the meantime, just give me a chance. Okay?"

He stayed silent for a while, considering. She probably didn't deserve it, but he couldn't deny her the oppurtunity to prove herself. "Okay. And speaking of therapy..."

"Can I stop going?"

"No."

"Crap."

He chuckled. At least she was partially accepting that she would have to continue going to sessions. "You know you have another appointment tomorrow?."

"Yeah, I know."

"Good." Alyssa rolled her eyes. "I was going to let you drive yourself this time. But know this: if you don't show up, I'll be getting a phone call."

"You're checking up on me?"

"Yes. I already said I don't trust you."

She narrowed her eyes in a glare that could almost measure his, but she smiled still. "Trust. Issues."

"Go to bed, Alyssa."

"Fine." She got up from the couch and paused for a moment before hugging him tightly. "Good night, Gibbs."

" 'Night, Lyssa. Love you."

She walked down the hall and back to her bedroom, smirking a little. She had to give it to him, Gibbs was smart. Alyssa knew that she wasn't exactly the trustworthy type, but he knew that too.

Alone in her room, she struggled to contain a giggle. She was going to have a fun week.

**Song is Only Hope by Switchfoot/Mandy Moore. Reviews and suggestions or whatever are LOVED MUCHLY. **

**~Rye**


	7. Chapter 7

Gibbs was just about to begin drilling his team for information on the latest case when his phone rang. "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Special Agent Gibbs? This is Lauren from Doctor Jameson's office."

He paused. Had Alyssa seriously skipped out on therapy? He thought he had made that point clear. "Alyssa's not there?"

"Oh, no sir. She's here, and Gracie, too." He could hear the smile in the receptionist's voice as she said Gracie's name. The little girl had a tendency to make everyone in the vicinity fall in love with her. "But Dr. Jameson was wondering if you could come in."

"Today?"

"Yes, sir. We understand if you would like to reschedule, but as you already have an appointment... And it really is crucial that parents be active participants in a child recovery." He could swear he heard Alyssa in the background, laughing at his misfortune.

"Of course. I completely understand. I'll be right there."

* * *

"Special Agent Gibbs. How are you?" Doctor Jameson smiled and stood up as he entered the room.

"Good, thanks. How about you?" He shook her out-stretched hand. Jethro knew that the doctor was a woman; he thought it would be best for the girls. But he didn't know that she would be so attractive. And a redhead, nonetheless.

"I'm doing well, thank you. Please, have a seat."

Gibbs sat down on the couch, admiring the beautiful red-haired woman across from him. "How can I help you, Miss Jameson?"

"Please, call me Zoe, Agent Gibbs."

"Then you must call me Jethro."

The woman blushed softly. "Right, Jethro. I was just wondering if I could talk to you about the girls for a few moments."

"Sure, of course."

"Why don't we start with Grace? Tell me about her."

"Gracie is... a princess. She needs constant attention..." He chuckled. "And supervision. She's curious about everything. Loves school. Her favorite things are princess coloring books, skirts that twirl, and being the center of attention. She likes to be cuddled and read to."

"And what about Alyssa?"

"Alyssa is a bit of a rebel. Without a cause, though. She needs attention, like her sister. She just goes about getting it in a less direct way. She's smart, gutsy. Got an attitude and a half."

Zoe laughed. "You sound like you have your hands full."

"Oh, I'd say so. My girls, the trouble makers."

"How would you say the girls are handling their mother's death?"

He thought for a moment. "Fairly well, I think. They've been through quite a few traumatic events, but it seems like they're both hardwired to handle the stress. Alyssa, especially. She's often more focused on her sister than herself, but it's her way of coping. Alyssa has a tendency to shut people out. She thinks no one will know if she's hurting if she won't talk about it. I think Gracie's still caught up in the new-ness of the situation. She's never had a daddy before, she wants to see what it's like. And where I work, she sees my team as extended family, family she's never really had before."

Zoe nodded. "And how are you handling things?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you. It must be difficult, going from a widower and divorcee to father of two little girls."

He nodded slowly. Alyssa must have told about him. Tattletale. "Right." That was all he said. Zoe waited silently for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "What?"

"Nothing, you just-" She giggled, and the thought entered his mind that he would like to hear that sound again. "I shouldn't laugh, but... You sounded so much like Alyssa. It's uncanny."

"Oh, great. I sound like a teenage girl. That's gonna do wonders for my ego." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

"Aw, don't worry about it, Jethro. I have a feeling your ego will be just fine."

* * *

_Later that night_

Gracie sat down and stared at Gibbs, her blue eyes wide. He waited on her to speak, but she didn't. Just sat and stared.

"Can I help you with something, Gracie?"

"Lyssa said you're leavin'."

He groaned inwardly. Gibbs knew he should have told her sooner, but he had been putting off the inevitable. He was leaving the day after tomorrow, so he hadn't planned on telling Grace quite yet. Maybe he just wasn't quite ready for what he feared would be more tears. "Yeah, I am."

"How come?" She scooted across the table and up next to him, putting her little hand on his strong one as he sanded the boat.

"I have a case to work on."

"Where are you goin'?"

"Quantico." She made a confused face, not understanding. "It's not far."

"Oh. Well, I drewed you a picture." She pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to him. He unfolded it to reveal a drawing of his family and his team. Front and center was a tall grey-haired man holding hands with two blonde girls. Behind them were two women, both with dark hair, standing between four men. They had all been carefully labeled in a little girl's handwriting: Gracie, Daddy, Lyssa, Tony, Ducky, Ziva, Abby, Jimmy, Tim.

"I didn't put da director in, cuz he scares me a little."

"It's beautiful, Gracie. Thank you."

"Welcome."

He kissed her softly on the forehead, carefully re-folded the paper and stuck it in his back jeans pocket. "I'll even take it with me when I go so I can remember what everbody looks like."

She didn't say anything for a long still moment. "But...You're gonna come back, right?"

He froze, sandpaper halfway up the rib of the boat. She had asked him so brokenly, as if she expected him to say no. He hadn't thought about the how the effects of his leaving would affect Grace in that particular way. She thought he was leaving them, for good.

Jethro set the paper down, cradled her small face carefully between his calussed hands."Listen to me, Gracie. Listen close, alright?" She nodded, eyes teary. "I am not going to leave you. Ever. I'm going away for a few days, but I am coming right back home to you."

"But when Daddy went away, he didn't come back. And Momma didn't neither."

"I know. But I am coming back here as soon as I can."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Pinky promise?" Her tiny hand seperated from his, pinky finger extended.

He was gathering that there was a ritual here as he wrapped his finger around hers and squeezed. "Pinky promise."

"Okay, then." A pinky promise was an unbreakable vow in Grace's world. If he pinky-promised that he would come back, then he would. "I'ma get Lyssa to read me a bedtime story, then you come tuck me in, okay?"

"Absolutely." She was so sweet, if maybe a bit bossy. Gibbs chuckled as she ran up the stairs. Imagine him being bossed around by a seven year old. He picked up the sandpaper again and went back to work, patiently waiting to be called upon.

"DADDEEEEEEE!" A voice came up from upstairs, sounding horrified.

Dropping the tool in his hand, Gibbs sprinted up the stairs to Grace's room. His gun was drawn by his side when he entered. He scanned the room quickly and saw no obvious threat. "Gracie, what's wrong?"

She looked at him, eyes wide with terror. "There's a spider."

Silence. Then he responded, calm, albeit confused."What?"

"There's a spider. It's on the wall." She pointed a single finger to her pink-painted walls and took a step back.

"Right. A spider." He tucked the gun back into his waistband, walked over and smacked the tiny dot of an insect. "No spider now."

"But... You killed it!" Grace's mouth fell open in shock.

"What did you want me to do to it?"

"Well, don't kill it! It's just a poor baby spider!"

"But-"

"You can't kill all the spiders, Daddy. Cuz they eat the little bitty bugs, and get eated by big bugs and frogs and stuff. If you kill them, it messes up the eco- umm, eco-somethin'. So you have to take them outside where they can live!" She explained, looking disappointed in him for not having already known this.

He sighed and rubbed a hand down the side of his face. "Next time, I will take the spider outside. I promise."

"Good. Cuz you don't wanna mess up the eco-..."

"System, sweetie. Ecosystem."

"Right. Goodnight, Daddy." Grace climbed into her bed and waited patiently for him to tuck her in tightly.

"Night, Gracie. Love you."

"I love you morer!"

* * *

"DADDDEEEEE!" Jethro sprung from his bed, feeling a slight sense of deja vu.

He was in Grace's room in an instant. "What, Grace? Another spider?"

"No!" She sniffled loudly, clutching her teddy bear to her chest in a death grip. Crocodile tears rolled down her cheeks. "I had a bad dream."

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie." He climbed onto the tiny bed beside her, limbs falling over. "What did you dream about?"

"That scary man was here again, and he was gonna hurt me."

"Oh, baby." Gibbs wrapped his arms around her small and trembling body. "It's okay. That man," he ground out, wanting to use another word for the scum, "is in jail. You're safe. Go back to sleep. I'll be right here, okay? You're safe, promise."

She squirmed around in the bed, trying to get comfortable. "Will you tell me a story?"

"I don't really know any good stories, princess."

"Well, make one up."

"Oh. Okay. Well, once upon a time... There was a princess." He paused, unsure how to continue.

Grace sighed exasperatedly. "What was the princesses' name?"

"Princess Gracie, of course. She was a very pretty princess. Beautiful, in fact."

"And?"

"And..." He gulped. "Uhm." He dug desperately through the recesses of his mind. There had to be a fairytale in there somewhere. He should have paid better attention to Ducky's stories.

She stared up at him silently. Gibbs was beginning to think she had learned his intimidating, disappointed interrogation-room glare when she scrambled out of the bed and came back with a storybook. "Your stories kinda suck. Can you just read me one of these?"

"Right, sure." He took the storybook from her and she climbed back in bed. "Did you say my stories suck?" She nodded innocently. "You gotta stop listening to your sister."

* * *

The next morning, Gibbs fixed breakfast for the two girls, bacon and eggs, and coffee for him. He pressed a fist into his back, attempting to pop it. Sleeping in a child's bed was not exactly what he would call a good night's sleep. Grace had slept fine after the first nightmare, but everytime he went to get up, she wiggled in closer, her tiny fists wrapped in his tee-shirt. He just couldn't bare to leave her.

Now Grace was taking a shower, and he was looking forward to getting some work done at the office before heading out tomorrow.

"Morning, Gibbs." Alyssa walked in, looking fully rested. She stretched and reached for a bowl of cereal. Of course he would go through all the trouble of fixing breakfast for her to choose a do-it-yourself meal of cereal and milk.

"Good morning. Sleep well?"

"Like a baby." She sat down at the kitchen counter and chomped into something Gibbs was sure was pure sugar.

"You didn't hear Grace screaming?"

Her eyes widened and she dropped her spoon into the bowl, causing colored milk to splash out. "What?"

"She had a nightmare."

"Ohmygod. I didn't- I didn't hear her!"

"It's alright, I took care of it."

"You took care of it?" She said mockingly.

"Yes." he replied, sitting down across from her and nursing a cup of coffee.

"Did you tell her a story?" Alyssa's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Yes."

"Which one?"

"A bad one, apparently. And then I read her Cinderella."

"She prefers Peter Pan after a bad dream." Alyssa looked angry. She must have like she wasn't needed. "And did you fix her hot chocolate?"

"She didn't say anything about hot chocolate."

"It helps her go to sleep."

"I don't think I have any..." He stood to look for some, possibly add it to the grocery list.

"Yeah, you do. It's in the cupboard beside the fridge. Bottom shelf. I'm going to get dressed." Alyssa dumped her cereal in the sink and stormed out.

He opened the door. Yep, instant hot cocoa. Huh.

Grace skipped into the kitchen then, fully dressed but her hair was still dripping wet. Gibbs grabbed a clean towel from under the sink and began to dry her long blonde hair. She giggled as he rubbed the towel in her face. "Is that breakfast? I love bacon!" She pulled herself up into a chair and watched as he fixed her a plate. Gibbs wondered briefly if she knew what bacon was. Probably not. After last night's incident with the spider, he figured she'd be a vegetarian if she did, claiming she couldn't eat a cute baby pig. Cute little tree hugger. It'd be hard for anyone to disagree with her as an activist.

"Are you all ready for school? Your homework done and all packed up?"

"Yep!"

Alyssa returned, wearing a knee-length dress and black lace tights. She glared at Gibbs as he surveyed her outfit. "Is it appropriate enough for you?" He nodded. She was in a sassy mood today, best not to bother her. "I borrowed the tights from Abby."

"Very nice. Gracie, you ready to go?"

"Do I hafta?"

"Yes, you most definitely 'hafta' go to school." Grace rolled her eyes. "Woah, wait a second here. Did you just roll your eyes at me?"

"Yeah."

"Don't do that."

"Whatever."

" 'Whatever'? You just...But... Alright, listen up. From now on, 'whatever' is considered a curse word in this family, and will not be tolerated."

"What? That's crazy!" Alyssa screeched from her seat. He didn't respond. "What if I have to use it in a sentence or something? Like, 'whatever she wants'. Hmm? What then?"

"Don't be smart."

"I thought being smart was a good thing."

"Alyssa..." he warned.

"Gibbs..." she mocked.

He relented, before she dug in her heels deeper. "Grace, get your stuff. Lyssa, go start the car." He tossed her a set of keys and she followed Grace out of the room. Once alone, Gibbs took a deep breath and sipped his coffee. Maybe getting out of town wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

**I can't BELIEVE I forgot to mention it, but who loved Spider and the Fly last week? (I'm so glad Paloma died. I did not like that chick. AT ALL.) I'm so excited about this season. And just because I love to get reader feedback, how about a poll? What do you want to happen more: Tiva or McAbby? Or another pairing? Lmk, cuz I'm curious.**

**Reviews make me SO VERY HAPPY! So PLEASEEE make a girl happy, huh?**

**~Rye**


	8. Chapter 8

**I've realized that because I don't really think ahead... This story doesn't have a plot. It's just kind of, one chapter that leads into the next chapter, that leads into the next chapter, but there's no climax or resolution or anything. So. In probably a couple of chapters, this story will merge into another one. And that one will have an actual PLOT! Yay for plots, right? Haha. Thanks for reading despite my lack of organization! **

**What do reviews and chocolate cake and Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo have in common? I love 'em all!**

**~Rye**

"Are you leaving yet?" Alyssa asked as she lounged on the couch.

"Almost. Why?" Gibbs set his suitcase down beside the door.

"I can't tell the boys to bring the keg around until you're gone." She flitted her eyelids.

"You're not helping your case here."

"You know I'm just kidding, Gibbs. Don't worry. I'll take care of Grace. I'll give her food and water and everything." He groaned. "Seriously, she'll be fine. I will be, too, in case you were worried."

"I wasn't. And Abby will be here in a few hours, just to make sure."

"Right. So when _are_ you leaving?"

"Now. Gracie! Gonna say goodbye?"

Grace's tennis shoes squealed as she ran into the room and jumped into his arms. She kissed him on the cheek. "Bye, Daddy!"

"Bye, princess. I'll see you in a few days, okay?" She nodded solemnly as he set her back down on the floor. "Alyssa?"

"Hmm?" She said as she flipped channels on the television.

"Are you not going to say goodbye?"

She looked up, acting disinterested. "Oh, yeah, sure. Hasta la visa. Au revoir, shalom, vale, namaste..." He leaned over the back of the couch and grabbed her chin, kissing her presented cheek. She blushed, but smiled. "Bye, Gibbs. Have fun."

"You... should not have fun. Don't have any fun, at all."

She rolled her eyes as she stood up. "No fun, got it."

"Okay, goodbye, then."

"Bye!" Both girls stood at the door, waving. As soon as he turned his back, the door slammed closed. Alyssa lifted Grace onto her shoulders and she peered through the tiny peep hole in the door. "He's getting in the car... And he's pulling out... And... He's gone!" Alyssa spun around, making her little sister dizzy.

"Yayy!"

"We're free, oh yeah, uh-huh." Alyssa danced as she plugged her iPod up to a set of speakers and began blaring music. "It's time to party, Gracie!" As a guitar riff flowed from the speakers, she turned the volume up to deafening levels. "Since you been gone, I can breathe for the first time. I'm so moving on, yeah, yeah. Thanks to you, now I get what I want, since you been gone!" A few minutes later, both girls were wearing feathered boas, busting moves and singing along when the door swung open.

"Since you been gone! I can brea- Hi, Gibbs."

"Hi, Daddy." Grace froze mid-dance, her hands in the air.

"I forgot my phone."

"Right. Of course you did." Alyssa paused the music and had the decency to look mildly embarassed. He glared at her, but she just shrugged innocently.

He grabbed his phone from the table and backed out the door, cringing as it slammed shut behind him. Gibbs got in the driver's seat of the car, phone in hand. "This is a bad idea."

"But we haven't even left yet, Gibbs." Ziva said from the passenger seat. McGee and Tony were squeezed into the backseat, arguing something about cupholders, the same as they had been since he picked them up at NCIS.

"Anticipation, Ziva. I'm just anticipating what I'm sure is to come."

* * *

"Hey, Abby?" Alyssa was sitting next to Abby on the couch watching television while Grace took a shower.

"Yeah?"

"I was just wondering if maybe I could have a friend over to spend the night tonight."

"Um... I don't know. I mean, Gibbs might..."

"Come on, Abbs. It's just one friend, one night. I would've asked the same thing if Gibbs were here, but tonight is the only night she could do it." The last part was a lie. Taylor had been begging to come over for the past week, claiming she was nearly always free, but Alyssa wasn't about to invite her new best friend over to meet her surrogate father/federal agent. She wanted to actually keep her friends, not have them run away in fear.

Abby bit her lip as she considered it. "Okay. But just tonight, and we're not doing anything crazy."

"Wait. Are you saying you're not going to let us get tattoos?" Alyssa kidded.

"Ha, ha. Not happening. Bossman likes and trusts me right now, I think I'll keep it that way."

"Fine." Alyssa ran off to call her friend.

A few minutes later, tires squealed in the driveway. A teenage girl with wild auburn hair climbed out of the car and rushed up to the house where she and Alyssa embraced.

"Taylor! Taylor, Abby. Abby, Taylor." Abby waved hello from where she was sitting cross-legged on the floor braiding Grace's hair. "And my sister, Gracie. Okay, introduction's over. Let's go." Alyssa steered her friend towards her bedroom.

"Wait, what are you guys going to do?"

"I thought we'd prank call Tony for a few hours and then listen to music."

"Oh, then you have my approval."

"I wanna talk to Tony! And can we call Daddy, too?"

"I was joking, Grace. We're not really calling Tony."

Grace looked confused. "What are you doing, then?"

"Big girl stuff, Gracie. You wouldn't have fun." Alyssa rolled her eyes and both girls disappeared. They were going to do Big Girl stuff, for sure. Maybe smoke some cigarettes, talk about their boyfriends, drink whatever Taylor got away from her mom. (Alyssa wasn't touching Gibbs' bourbon. Even when she was twenty-one. )

* * *

_A few days later_

"I'm home!"

Alyssa jumped from her position underneath a boy on her head. She pushed the bare-chested teen upright. "S***!" Alyssa's fingers fumbled trying to get the buttons of her shirt closed. "Alright, listen. I'll go distract him, and when I give the signal, you jump out the window and run. And I mean, run!" Alyssa rolled over Mark, pushing him off the other end. She sprinted through the open door and down the stairs, missing his question of 'what's the signal?'. She tried to appear relaxed and only slightly suprised at Gibbs' sudden appearance... two days early. "Hi, Gibbs. What's up? You're home early."

She felt her throat close up in apprehension. Abby had been easy to get around, not even noticing the smell of smoke in Alyssa's room because she was so busy with Grace. Alyssa felt a little bad about using her sister as a distraction ploy, but it had worked. She hadn't even tried to pull anything when Ziva had come back from Quantico early to spend the night. The ninja chick had senses like... well, a ninja. She knew nothing was going down that night, so she saved her sneaking out to party until the night when she was supposed to be in charge. Gracie hadn't even noticed she was gone.

But now Gibbs was back and there was a boy on her bed and all she could think was "S*** s*** s***!"

"Hey, Lyssa. Miss me?" Gibbs said as he dropped his bag onto the couch and wrapped his arms around her.

She cringed slightly at his touch because she was so nervous."Of course."

"Where's Grace?"

"Downstairs."

At that moment, the seven year old came running up. "Daddy!" Grace ran over and flung her arms around his neck. He picked her up and swung her around in a circle.

"Hey, princess!" Jethro found himself immediatly relieved at the sight of both girls relatively unharmed. He had missed them both intensely while he was gone, had to talk himself out of calling every minute to check in. But they both seemed fine, even if Alyssa was a little jittery...

Tony came through the door behind him, loaded down with bags.

Alyssa was somewhat relieved at the sight of her co-conspirator. Ducking out of Gibbs' line of sight, she frantically waved her hands, signaling that Tony should distract Gibbs.

His hazel eyes widened as he struggled to figure out the meaning of her gestures. "What?" He mouthed to her silently.

"DISTRACT HIM!" She mouthed back, pointing to Gibbs' back angrily.

Tony nodded, agreeing though he knew should not be getting involved... "Boss, what do you want me to do with the evidence?"

Gibbs turned, Grace snuggled in his strong arms. "Take it to Abby." Had his hands not been filled, he would've head-smacked DiNozzo for such a stupid question.

"Well, right, but..." Tony kept sending nervous glances in Alyssa's direction. "What about the bullet?"

"What about it?"

"Well, it's in the guy's... you know. How am I going to get it to Abby?"

"Wait until Ducky digs it out, DiNozzo."

"Oh. Right, boss."

A loud crash came from upstairs. Alyssa cringed visibly and mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?" Gibbs asked, his hand reaching back towards his sidearm.

"Definitely not anything you should be shooting at!" Alyssa said, her hands raised in the general sign of surrender.

He glared at her. "What was it, Alyssa?"

"Um..."

"Alyssa Marie!"

"It is a he! Okay? It's a he. His name is Mark. And," she stood up straighter, trying to look more confident than she felt. "He is my boyfriend."

"He's your what?" He glared strongly at her, but with the opposite effect of what he intended. It only made her madder and more stubborn.

"My boyfriend. Oh, sorry, Gibbs. I forgot how old you are. You probably don't recognize that term. We're 'going steady'."

"I got 'boyfriend', Alyssa, and if you want to have a living one, you'll get him out. NOW."

"Right. Got it." She sprinted up the stairs and came back down, dragging a boy four inches taller than her by the arm. She glared back at Gibbs. "My frickin' window is locked."

But he wasn't looking at her. He was staring at the teenage boy beside her, looking like he was about to wet himself in the presence of two armed federal agents. "Darn."

"Um, sir, I'm so... I really... Your daughter is..." the boy faltered and stuttered.

"Shut up, Mark. Just shut up." She pushed him towards Tony, who held open the door. Mark nearly tripped over his own feet trying to get away as Tony waved goodbye."I'll call you!" Alyssa yelled out after him, and then got a glimpse of Gibbs. "Or not. Probably not."

"Alyssa..." Gibbs started before he was interrupted.

"Daddy! I got a surprise for you!"

That was surprise enough, he thought, looking sternly from Alyssa to Grace, then back. He set the little one back on the ground and she immediatly began pulling him away. "We'll talk about this later."

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "Looking forward to it."

Gracie dragged Gibbs in the direction of the basement and lead him down the stairs, practically skipping in glee. "Look, look!" She pointed to the frame of the boat in the middle of the room.

"You... You painted it. You painted my boat."

"Oh dear god." Alyssa said, appearing from the stairway. She clapped her hands together. "It's beautiful!"

"It's... pink."

"And it sparkles!" Grace added as she jumped up and down.

"It certainly sparkles." He turned and glared at Alyssa.

"I had absolutely nothing to do with this!"

"Don't you like it?" Big blue eyes looked up at him, starting to fill with tears.

"Of course, sweetheart. It's great!" He picked her back up again, pulling on her blonde pigtail. There was a distinctive smell of little girl around her that he just couldn't get enough of. "It looks just like my best girl."

Alyssa cringed. "Ouch. Guess I deserved that."

"Ya think, Lyssa?"

She turned and went back up the stairs. "I try not to. It gets me into trouble."


	9. Chapter 9

**Much thanks to IrishDipstick for letting me borrow Taylor last chapter and for being around for support. You're an angel, even when you do beat me to deadlines. ;)**

**This chapter is rated T for some sexual references. Previous warnings still apply.**

**Hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Reviews make my head spin around. Seriously.**

**~Rye **

"We need to talk, Alyssa." Gibbs entered the room where Alyssa was lying lengthwise across her bed and painting her fingernails.

She didn't even look up. "No, I don't really think we do."

He picked up the chair from her desk, sat down in it next to her bed. "Do you really wanna make this harder on yourself?"

Now she looked up. "No..."

"Good."

She sat up straighter and put her nailpolish on the desk, looked him right in the eyes. "Are you gonna spank me?"

"Do you think I should?"

Her look turned to a glare. "That's a trick question."

"Well, let's go over our options. I could take away your phone, but I've already done that. I could take your car, but then you'd have no way to get to school, and I can't drive both you and Grace. I could ground you, but I have this vivid mental image of you brooding around the house for weeks, snapping at everyone you talk to, and coming up with more mischief than I care to deal with."

"You're probably right." He nodded in silent agreement. "Great. So I can just apologize and we can forget this, right?" She asked hopefully.

"Wrong. I trusted you, Lyssa."

"I know..."

"And? You betrayed that trust just because you can? Why?" She didn't respond. "Answer me, Alyssa."

"I just... I don't know, okay? I'm not perfect." Alyssa groaned and pulled at her ponytail. "I don't really see what the big deal is. I had a friend over while you were gone. So what?"

"So what? So, he could've..." He broke off, fuming. "No. We are not having this conversation. Come here."

"Nuh-uh!" Alyssa scrunched up into fetal position, pulling her legs in against her chest.

"Are we really doing this again?"

"Maybe."

"Alyssa, dang it. Come here." He snapped his fingers, pointed to his side.

"Nooo!" She wined.

Gibbs dropped his head into his hands for a moment, dreading what he was going to have to do. Alyssa took the moment to glimpse towards the door, wondering if she could make it outside before he caught up with her. She looked back at him. It was doubtful. She took a deep breath and silently resigned herself to her fate.

"Last chance, Alyssa, or so help me, I will ground you until you're twenty-one."

" 'Kay. I got it." She slid over her bed to stand next to him, biting her lip and looking sorry.

He was slightly shocked at her quick change of heart, but he wasn't about to consider it for long; she might change her mind. Grabbing her hands, he led her over his lap and immediatly began raining down swats. Her legs kicked furiously for a minute as she tried to dodge each blow. Her Minnie Mouse pajama bottoms offered little protection from his stinging palm. She was so close to crying to begin with, it didn't take long for her to dissolve into tears. He finished up quickly and pulled her into his arms. "Hush, now. You're okay."

"I-I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, I didn't think you were gonna come back so soon and ..."

"I know, I know."

"You're not gonna... use your belt, are ya?"

"No. I think you've had enough."

She nodded earnestly. "Yep. And cuz I didn't lie about it, either. I told you he was my boyfriend."

"No, he's not. You thought he was, but you were mistaken."

"Oh." She pouted a little and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. "I was gonna break up with him anyways. He's stupid." Her big blue eyes looked up to his as if begging for his reassurance that she had made the right decision.

"Good girl." She looked down again until he gently chucked her under the chin. "Listen to me. You're too good for him."

Alyssa shrugged. "Maybe."

"It's true."

She rolled her eyes and tucked herself up under his arm. "Stop being mushy, Gibbs. It doesn't work for you."

"Mm. Right." He petted her hair softly and tried not to laugh.

"Grace really missed you."

"I gathered that with the..." He gulped. "Pink boat."

"I didn't have anything to do with that."

He sighed. "I know. I think she came up with that all on her own."

Alyssa mumbled something incomprehensible before raising her voice. "Dang it, Gibbs!"

"What?"

"You made me smudge my stupid nail polish!"

"Ah. Someone's all better." He lifted her off his lap and pulled her into a hug. She fought him back a little before giving in to the embrace. He wiped what was left of the tears from her face and kissed her softly on the cheek.

"I am sorry about.. you know."

"I know." He closed the door on Alyssa, who was still grumbling about her nail polish and went down the stairs, dialing a number into his cell phone as he did. The phone rang for a moment, and then a voice answered the other end.

"Hi, Gibbs!"

"Abbs. I need to call in a favor."

* * *

_The Next Day_

Saturday's spent at NCIS were not among Alyssa's list of favorite things. Gibbs' had ordered her away more than ten minutes ago, but he hadn't come in yet. Alyssa was feeling worried that he had changed his mind about using his belt and she was about to get her butt roasted again.

A scuffling sound came from outside the door and then it swung open. Abby and Ziva were behind it, both looking uncomfortable. They stared at her awkwardly for a moment before entering.

"Uhm... Hey?"

"Hello, Alyssa."

"Hi, Lyss."

There was another pregnant pause. Ziva looked desperately to Abby. "I don't want to do this."

"Well, yeah, me either, but I want to keep my job!"

"Gibbs would not really fire us... Would he?"

"I'm so not taking that chance." Abby grabbed a chair and sat down in it, looking determinedly at Alyssa.

"I'm gonna be honest here. I'm a little freaked out right now." Alyssa laughed. "Wait, this feels like the first line of a joke. 'A goth, an assassin, and a teenager are all locked in an interrogation room.' "

"Okay, no jokes, Lyss. This is serious." Abby brought her fist down hard on the table, then smiled widely. "I always really wanted to do that."

Alyssa followed her lead and slammed the table. "Oh yeah, that's satisfying."

"And pretty intimidating, right? No wonder Gibbs does that all the time..."

"Ladies!" Ziva yelled. Abby and Alyssa both turned her way. "Let's keep this car on the road, yes?"

"Train on the track, Zi. _Train_ on the _track_." Alyssa corrected.

"Whatever."

"Where is this particular train's destination, anyways?"

"Sex, Lyss. It's destination is sex." Abby spoke up, looking more excited than she should in her situation.

Alyssa sat still, thoroughly shell-shocked. "Oh no."

"Yes." Ziva sat down beside Abby, across from Alyssa. "We're going to have to talk about the, um, birds and bees?"

"Oh dear God." Alyssa put her head down on the table.

"Did I mess that one up, too?"

"No, Ziva. You got that one right. I think Alyssa just doesn't really want to talk about it."

Alyssa lifted her head up slightly to mutter one word. "Exactly."

"But, we have to. You have to talk about it sometime!"

"I already have talked about it, with my mom before she died. Multiple times. And I had sex ed class. So can we just stop this conversation before it gets any more awkward..." Alyssa stood to leave, but Ziva pushed her back into the chair. Alyssa winced upon contact.

"No. We need to go over this."

Alyssa glared at them both before sighing. "Fine. But can I start?"

"Sure!" Abby quickly agreed, and Ziva nodded.

Alyssa leaned forward in her chair, her gaze serious. She looked very Gibbs-like. "Okay, five out of ten seventeen-year-olds have sex, but only seventy percent of those use a condom. Even then, one in three condoms will fail. Nineteen percent of those who have sex will get pregnant, and one out of four teens will get an STD." She paused after rattling off statistics. "I can't keep myself out of trouble, so there's no way in heck I could handle having a baby. And getting an STD is not exactly on my 'to-do' list. Considering the statistics, abstinence is really the only option. So I don't plan on 'sealing the deal' until I'm at least twenty-one and in a committed relationship."

She stopped, and the two women stared at her silently.

"So, can I go now?"

"Uh-huh."

"Sure."

Ziva and Abby stared at each other silently for a moment, then Ziva spoke. "That went better than I thought it would."

"Uh-huh."

...

"I still don't want to do it again."

"Me either."

They exited to find Gibbs waiting for them anxiously. "Well?"

"No worries, bossman. I think Alyssa's pretty much got it."

"Yes, she seems very... knowledgeable?"

"Very much so. Get back to us in ten years about Gracie."

"Oh, I don't think I'll do that. I'm locking her in her room when she turns sixteen."


	10. Chapter 10

Hi! Just letting everyone that subscribed that this series is being continued in _Princess Grace and Angel Alyssa. _I think it pretty much picks up right where I left off, but with a plot line this time! I like plots, don't you?

I hope everyone continues to read and review! I absolutely adore reviews! So if you have ever reviewed my stories, im sending you a virtual hug right now. -squeezes- See, I'ma good hugger.

And if you haven't reviewed, -angry face- I will send Ziva after you. Yes, the crazy ninja assassin. With a knife! (Scary thought, yes?)

In conclusion, PLEASE REVIEW! It makes me blow up with joy!

Love, Rye

P.S.- If you don't review, I still love you. I love all my readers. I just love the non-reviewers a little less.


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